Lap Around the Web – Apr. 2nd, 2018

I know I’ve professed my love for all things “Alfa Romeo” here before and if you’ve been listening, you’ve probably heard me call the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale the most beautiful car in the world. But Alfa, being Alfa, wouldn’t call something the “Stradale” if there wasn’t also a “Competitizione” version to take racing, which is how this amazing Petrolicious video came to be. Here we see three amazing drivers, including Derek Bell, Nanni Galli, and Arturo Merzario climbing behind the wheel of three of the gorgeous Alfa Romeos they used to race back in the day for a fun day of lapping around Alfa’s Balocco Proving Grounds.

Although the McLaren F1’s top speed record of a hair over 240 MPH has since fallen to cars such as the Bugatti Veyron, the Hennessey Venom, and a number of Koenigsegg models, it was a record that stood for over a decade. And for good reason: back in the early 1990’s, cars were far less sophisticated than they are today. Obviously, the engineers at McLaren knew they were working on the most forward-thinking and complex car of its era at the time, but nobody really knew how fast it would actually be able to go. Road & Track just published an awesome article detailing everything McLaren’s development team from Woking went through to reach that staggering speed back on March 31st, 1998, almost exactly 20 years ago.

We at Morrie’s Heritage Car Connection love Porsche 914s. Adam has one, Ben has two, and we have plenty of friends that also own them. They’re fun cars because, despite the lack of horsepower, they’re super lightweight and tossable. This one takes all the good things about the 914 and cranks them to 11, while also quadrupling the horsepower output via a 3.6L flat-6 swap. The bigger engine, combined with weight reduction and more tire and aero make this particular 914 a force to be reckoned with around an auto-x course or race track. To read more about it, head on over to Speedhunters.com.

What’s better than vintage race cars being raced wheel to wheel in anger? I’m not sure either but while I think about it, here are some incredible photos of the most beautiful vintage race cars being put to good use during the 76th Goodwood Member’s Meeting, courtesy of photographer Tom Shaxon.

Last, but certainly not least, there’s finally a fresh take on a Baja Bug. This is the first, but not the only example that I’ve seen of someone taking a Polaris RZR and plopping a Baja Bug body onto it. In stock form, the RZR makes anywhere from 110 up to 168 hp, which is a healthy upgrade from a Beetle’s flat-4. Combine that with less weight, more suspension travel, and 4WD, and these RZR-based Baja Bugs look like a rip-snortin’ good time. The best part is, it seems people are finding ways to register them with the donor Beetle’s VIN tag, thus making them street legal! I don’t know about you but that sounds like a pretty perfect off-road rig to me!